Dean Meg

Chapter 31 Dean Meg

This was the day after Hai Na caught a headline, and it happened to be a weekend.

Hai Na went to the Royal Law University for the first time in a while.

Even though it was a day off, there were still a lot of people at the school. After all, the final exams were only a month away, and even if they were cramming, they should still prepare.

Hai Na wasn't nervous at all.

She even put on her armor, equipped her Inspectorate-exclusive short sword, stood downstairs in the girls' dormitory, and watched the students come and go with a smile.

"Hello, Senior!"

"Senior Hai Na."

"Good morning, Senior Hai Na."

"By the Silver Crowned Dragon... I wish you well, Miss Hai Na."

The students coming and going, even those in the same grade as Hai Na, greeted her politely when they saw her. Looking at the very leisurely Hai Na, the busy students showed envious eyes.

They were still working hard to prepare for the final exams, but Hai Na had already graduated early! But they would never have guessed that Hai Na was doing it on purpose.

She didn't come back because she had something to do.

She simply wanted to see her juniors and sisters busy with exams while she could leisurely stroll around the school.

So good. Ah, so good.

It was as if the fatigue and pressure accumulated from staying up late to prepare for the early graduation exam had been purified...

The Royal Law University is not purely an Extraordinary School.

It has one hundred and forty teaching buildings and six faculties. Only two of these faculties teach students how to become Extraordinary, and two others prioritize teaching mystical arts of other Paths.

These were "forbidden arts" that began to be taught only twenty years ago, under the Queen's special permission, for the prosperity and development of the kingdom—such as alchemy, art, and preservation.

The remaining two faculties are used to produce high-quality Civil Servants for Avalon. They have the largest number of students, all of whom are ordinary people.

The crisscrossing teaching buildings are almost a small town in themselves. They are divided into six major areas by crisscrossing streets, and each area has various merchants and residents. You can buy most of what you want without even leaving the "university" territory.

The layout of the Royal Law University occupies a considerable part of the Red Queen District. The Red Queen District is therefore also known as the "University District."

The house prices here are very high. So high that Hai Na didn't even dare to think about it.

The core areas of the Red and White Queen's Glass Island are noble because they can directly see the "Lake in the Island"—from the top floor of the teaching building, you can even see the Silver and Tin Palace shimmering in the sunlight with the naked eye.

Here, you can meet Knights almost every day when you go out.

And Hai Na's faculty belongs to the Individual Tactics Faculty. Although they are Extraordinary, they also have to study cultural knowledge.

—This is the policy proposed by Her Majesty the Queen to improve the quality of Extraordinary talents.

To make Extraordinary people into state-governing talents with extraordinary power, rather than a source of chaos—no need to worry about how much to give up to Extraordinary people to appease them, because they are the pillars of the kingdom.

Therefore, the academic pressure at the Royal Law University is very high.

Iris Language, Stibium Language, Elven Language, Advanced Mathematics, Basic Theology, Modern History, and Document Writing are general courses that all faculties must master.

Specifically for Hai Na, she also has seven professional courses: "Law," "Legal Tactics," "Swordsmanship," "Aerial Riding," "Battlefield Command," "Path Identification," and "Equipment Maintenance and Battlefield Treatment."

In addition to these, she needs to choose four elective courses.

She chose "Applied Emerald Gemology," "Anesthesiology," "Wine Brewing Production Management," and "Animal Common Disease Prevention and Treatment."

It seems like she's studying a lot of different things... but in reality, her motives are clear and traceable.

This is Hai Na flexibly utilizing the Royal Law University's extremely strong teaching resources, as well as the large number of professional books freely available in the library, considering that she might be seriously injured or even disabled and unemployed in the future, and learning four courses in advance that would be better for supporting herself.

But at the same time, she doesn't know what will make money in the future. So she learned four unrelated fields in a haphazard manner.

Once she has a foundation, it will be much easier to supplement her knowledge.

Just then, Hai Na suddenly felt a chill.

She instinctively sensed that someone had silently appeared behind her.

An extremely strong sense of fear gripped her heart, and her eyes widened instantly. Like facing a gale blowing towards her, she gasped for air, but couldn't get any oxygen.

With her nerves on edge, she subconsciously gripped the short sword in its scabbard—

"—Good morning, Hai Na."

A sonorous female voice rang out: "Hey, don't be afraid. [Put it back]."

With a clanging sound, the short sword she had slightly drawn out slipped from her hand and slid back on its own. It was as if her weapon refused to be drawn in front of this person.

Only when she heard her voice did Hai Na breathe a sigh of relief and slowly let go of her hand.

"Dean Meg..."

How could such a big figure suddenly appear without making a sound. It really gave me a fright...

She complained softly in her heart, turned around, placed her right hand on her chest, bowed her head, and respectfully saluted her: "Good morning, Dean Meg."

In front of Hai Na was a middle-aged woman with silver hair, high cheekbones, and clear wrinkles on her face.

Judging from her skin and appearance alone, she looked at least forty or fifty years old, or even sixty or older. But her bright eyes, as well as her strong physique and loud voice, made her look at least twenty years younger.

The most obvious feature of Dean Meg was her high, firm shoulders. These were strong muscles that even young men who focused on fitness would find difficult to possess, and they could make loose clothes bulge noticeably.

"Ah ha ha ha ha!"

Meg laughed heartily.

Her laughter was hearty and loud, and her voice could be heard clearly even from dozens of meters away: "I knew it—you were startled, weren't you?

"But you did well, Hai Na! A few months ago, you wouldn't have noticed my presence even if I had put my arm around your shoulders. Now I just approached you from behind, and you could feel it—this shows that the past few months of training have indeed made progress!"

This matter could be considered Hai Na's shame.

A few months ago, she applied for early graduation—because of her exceptionally good grades, she was once full of confidence. And early graduation also alarmed Dean Meg, who personally came to witness Hai Na's graduation assessment.

At that time, she appeared silently behind Hai Na, just like now. But Hai Na didn't notice at all.

She didn't even feel it when Dean Meg slowly untied her tie.

It wasn't that Meg had entered stealth, but that she made Hai Na's brain "afraid to realize her existence."

It was like calling a deer a horse, the power of authority to forcibly alter perception.

But now, at least Hai Na could sense the danger—

Although Dean Meg certainly wasn't serious, it also showed that she had indeed grown.

After Dean Meg appeared, the surrounding students visibly decreased.

Originally, there were quite a few people around Hai Na, but now a huge open space was directly cleared around her.

This was not just awe of the school leader.

It was also because the aura of the Path of Authority emanating from Dean Meg was strong and obvious. Those lower in the same Path simply didn't dare to approach.

This seemingly very energetic old woman was one of the strongest people in the world today.

—Grand Arbitrator, Meg. The Deputy Director of the Arbitration Hall.

She had the supreme privilege of being able to execute direct descendants of the royal family.

The reason she was the "Deputy" Director... was because in Avalon, the deputy position was in some ways stronger than the official position—because the official position had a maximum term limit, but the deputy position did not.

Meg had been the Deputy Director of the Arbitration Hall for twenty years. The Director, who served a three-year term, had been replaced seven times, and each one was her student.

Even during the succession to the throne, Meg was required to be present to witness it.

After the new king ascended the throne, she would be the third to swear allegiance to the new king—the first was the Minister of Military and Political Affairs, who controlled the army and foreign espionage agencies, the second was the Knight Commander of the Round Table Hall, who also served as Privy Council Minister. And the third was her.

The remaining members of the royal family had to be ranked after sixth place.

Just standing with Old Meg made Hai Na feel palpitations.

It was as if standing in front of her was not a kind and generous old lady, but a fully grown lion within reach.

—If she turned around and ran away, she would probably fall. Because her legs would become stiff with fear.

She once single-handedly intervened in a war.

That was the "Ten Day War" that occurred twenty years ago when the Avalon Kingdom and the Iris Flower Kingdom had a brief war due to border friction.

When Meg arrived on the battlefield, she used only one sentence to make the soldiers on both sides sheathe their swords and point their guns at the ground.

She carved a "Peace Boundary" in the border area—anyone who considered themselves a "soldier" could not cross it. Approaching the boundary would cause great fear, and they would be deterred to the point of being unable to move.

That boundary existed for four years before gradually fading. Now that relations between the two countries had improved, it had become a well-known tourist attraction, used to commemorate the brief war that lasted only ten days.

Hai Na was certainly not her student. Because she was not qualified yet.

Sherlock had been invited to become her closed-door disciple—but he refused.

And the old lady did not force it. But since then, she had not taken any new students.

It was said that she had recently begun to prepare to step down from the position of Deputy Director of the Arbitration Hall. This was a secret known to everyone at the Royal Law University—because the new Deputy Director would be their young principal.

And this principal was also a student of Dean Meg.

"Made the newspapers, did you?"

Old Meg sized her up, raised her eyes, and asked with an ambiguous meaning.

Hai Na was unusually nervous, lowering her head and not daring to look up: "Yes, I was lucky... I didn't really do anything, it was mainly Mr. Iver..."

"—Oh, 'Mr.'"

The old woman repeated with a smile: "You respect him very much."

Hai Na was startled and held her breath, unsure how to respond.

"No need to be ashamed, you did the right thing. I've heard Yanis talk about him."

Dean Meg's voice was firm and powerful, like tightly gripped steel: "'The stronger's correctness is more correct.' Whether you are his senior or predecessor, you are not as good as him in this matter. Then you obey his command—this is in line with the ideals of the Path of Authority."

Hearing this, she finally relaxed.

Being recognized and encouraged by a highly respected teacher greatly inspired Hai Na. It was as if the world in front of her lit up, and her body felt much lighter.

This even gave her the courage to ask: "Excuse me, Dean Meg... are you perhaps here to see me?"

"Yes."

Meg laughed straightforwardly: "Isn't it obvious?

"You are a good child, hardworking and serious. But still a bit clumsy."

Dean Meg gave Hai Na, who graduated a year early and maintained perfect scores in all subjects, the evaluation of "a bit clumsy."

This made Hai Na feel somewhat dejected.

She knew she was far behind Sherlock... but she didn't know how strong Sherlock's talent was in a longitudinal comparison.

Hai Na didn't know what kind of talents the seniors who graduated before Sherlock's class were like. Because they had all become mid-to-high-level officials, and their past identity information had been kept confidential.

But looking at her expression, Dean Meg's lips curled up slightly, and she gave a rare affirmation: "But we, the royal blades walking on the Path of Authority, don't need to be too smart.

"I ask you—you know the Pelican Bar is closed, right?"

"...Yes."

It's normal for it to be closed, right?

Hai Na thought to herself.

After all, it was the gathering place of the Noble Red Society, a group of illegal Extraordinary individuals—they couldn't possibly gather together to discuss Iris literature and Elven poetry, could they?

"Then do you know if your roommates often went to the Pelican Bar?"

Dean Meg raised her eyebrows when she saw Hai Na's sudden surprise, and added: "[Tell the truth]."

"—Not often," Hai Na blurted out, "but they have been there."

She almost immediately realized she had leaked information.

But in front of a superior on the Path of Authority, she had no secrets to hide.

"Did they invite you?"

"They invited me once, but I refused. After that, they didn't invite me anymore."

"Oh."

Meg said meaningfully, "No wonder you don't know."

Don't know... what? "Do you know what they go to the Pelican Bar to buy?"

"Buy what...?"

Hai Na was a little confused.

"They go to buy cosmetics."

Meg directly stated the answer: "Potent cosmetics made by the alchemists of the Stibium Kingdom. They can make the skin of a thirty or forty-year-old look as tender as a teenager's—although, if you ask me, they are far from the age where they need to use such things. But it's normal for girls to be interested in this stuff.

"The Stibium's Youthful Appearance Potion also sells very well. Although the side effects of the Youthful Appearance Potion can lead to physical weakness and obvious muscle loss—despite my repeated warnings, some of my students still use it."

...Ah.

Hai Na suddenly understood.

—She thought something was off! She had previously felt that the skin of those Royal Capital young ladies was so tender and fair, as if you could pinch water out of it. Although they were all in the "Individual Tactics Department," and they practiced swordsmanship and horsemanship a lot, their hands had no calluses, and the skin on their thighs was not chafed at all. Their waists were slender and soft, with no trace of muscle.

Before, Hai Na thought they were just talented and even felt a little inferior—feeling that she was too unsophisticated, and her body looked like someone who did farm work, too prone to building muscle.

Now she finally knew.

So they were taking drugs! "Do you have anything to say?"

Just then, Dean Meg looked over with a profound gaze, interrupting Hai Na's thoughts.

Her mind suddenly went blank.

What... what was I just thinking about?

But in the next moment, she vaguely caught something.

"The alchemical products of the Stibium Kingdom should be illegal, right?"

She murmured, "That's smuggling... I understand, that's why they didn't invite me repeatedly. Because they knew I had no money.

"...No, isn't the Pelican Bar a gathering place for the Noble Red Society? Why can you buy smuggled alchemical products from the Pelican Bar?"

She suddenly shuddered and realized, "Is the Noble Red Society involved in smuggling? No, no—are they related to the Stibium officials?"

"Not too stupid yet."

Old Meg nodded with satisfaction.

Finally, she got down to business: "Our spies in Stibium have sent back important information—"

"Wait, wait, am I qualified to know this..."

Hai Na keenly sensed a strong sense of crisis, and hesitated to herself in a voice that only she could hear.

Meg completely ignored Hai Na, who had suddenly become cowardly again, and said to herself, "A batch of high-power, small-volume Portable Alchemy Bombs has been transported to Avalon. The target should be Glass Island.

"The power of this batch of bombs is enough to blow the entire Red Queen District to the sky. We couldn't find any traces of these bombs flowing in before. But since the day before yesterday, when investigating the Pelican Bar... the Inspectorate discovered that these bombs were transported in through the Pelican Bar.

"The credit you've made is much greater than you think."

Meg's eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.

She laughed heartily and patted Hai Na on the shoulder: "So, I'm giving you a chance.

"The Inspectorate and the Arbitration Hall are both investigating this matter. Originally, your Bureau of Supervision wouldn't have access to something like this. But whether it's you, Sherlock, or that Iver, you've all piqued my interest.

"I'm giving you temporary authorization to investigate—if your Director has anything to say, tell him to come find me. Bring any consultants you want to invite, give him whatever he wants, I'll reimburse it; if you can't find anything out, I'll cover for you.

"I want to see if I misjudged things a few months ago. If you manage to investigate and uncover important information before we solve the matter..."

Dean Meg said meaningfully, "I still have a spot for a closed-door disciple... I can leave it for you."